Concerns about harmful applications of artificial intelligence are “very legitimate.” Dangers posed by artificial intelligence are “not one of those things that keeps me up at night.” Guess which words were spoken by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and which by DARPA director Steven Walker. While the tempest-tossed masses may be forgiven for not even knowing what AI is, let alone whether it is good or bad, these two authorities at the top of the technocratic ladder reflect the field’s deepest knowledge base. Right? So Pichai is troubled and Walker is what, me worry? Here in a crystalline nutshell is the battle for the future between civilian and military applications that is one of the strongest story lines in the history of technology, especially for the past century. Hundreds of billions of dollars push the tech from each side. Pichai and Walker ought to start spending occasional weekends together–you know, maybe get to know each other a little, being apparently from different planets.
